Knicks' OG Anunoby, Josh Hart will start Game 7 vs. Pacers
Update at 3:02 p.m.: The Knicks announced both OG Anunoby and Josh Hart will be in the starting lineup for Game 7 against the Pacers on Sunday.
This will be Anunoby's first action in the series since Game 2 on May 8. Hart sustained an abdominal injury in the first half of Game 6 on Friday night in Indiana.
With a Game 7 between the Knicks and Pacers looming, both OG Anunoby and Josh Hart are still trending towards playing.
ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reported on Sunday that both players were on track to play.
Entering Sunday, Anunoby has been pushing to play in Game 7 regardless of the state of his hamstring injury, per SNY sources.
The Knicks listed Anunoby as questionable for Game 7, and the team and player will decide on his availability after team workouts on Sunday ahead of the 3:30 p.m. tipoff. As SNY first reported Saturday, there is internal optimism about Anunoby playing.
Anunoby has progressed in his rehab recently and the forward would like to be on the court with his teammates in a win-or-go-home game against the Pacers, SNY sources said Saturday.
The forward, a potential free agent in the 2024 offseason, “wants to be out there with his guys,” a league source familiar with the dynamic said.
Anunoby suffered a hamstring injury in Game 2 and has not returned to play since. He traveled with the Knicks to their three road games in Indiana; as of Friday evening, Anunoby hadn’t progressed much in that rehab beyond light on-court work.
Clearly, he made more progress between Friday evening and Saturday afternoon.
Even if Anunoby is significantly less than 100 percent, the Knicks could benefit greatly from his presence on Sunday.
Anunoby, who has a player option for 2024-25, scored a combined 41 points and grabbed 13 rebounds in the first seven quarters of the series. He also matched up with Indiana’s Pascal Siakam, who had 25 points (11-for-21 FG), seven rebounds, five assists and two steals in the Pacers’ blowout win in Game 6.
Hart was not himself in the Knicks’ loss on Friday. He suffered an abdominal strain early in the game and was ruled out in the second half. Hart is listed as questionable for Sunday. But each of his teammates who spoke to the media on Friday night said they expected Hart to play in Game 7. Nothing had transpired between late Friday night and Sunday morning to counter that belief.
Anunoby, who was acquired via trade in late December, will participate in a team workout ahead of Game 7. Hart will do the same. The Knicks may also have both players go through pre-game warmups before deciding on their status.
